Enrollment Assessment, Osler

The academy was even more impressive inside than it looked from the outside. The main road was broad and level, paved with bluestone slabs.

Tall plane trees had been planted on both sides, their canopies blocking out the sky.

Orderly buildings lined both sides of the road, with gray walls, black tiles, and spotless windows. Occasionally, students in uniforms passed by in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

In the distance was an open training ground, where figures could vaguely be seen moving about.

"As expected of the capital. The academy here has a far better environment than the academy in Notting City. It was no worse than the schools in my previous life."

Looking at surroundings almost identical to the schools from his previous life, Wang Xian could not help but sigh.

Before he had gone far along the main road, he spotted a signpost by the roadside.

Following the guard's directions, he turned right at the fork, passed through a row of roadside trees, and found a row of low houses before him.

The place for new student assessments was here.

Compared to the rest of the academy, this area seemed much quieter.

There was hardly anyone coming or going. Only a small house stood there alone, its door half-open, with the shadows of tables and chairs faintly visible inside.

Just as Wang Xian reached the doorway, a middle-aged man walked out.

The man wore a silver-white robe, and both his hair and beard were groomed with meticulous care. At a glance, he seemed like someone who handled matters with great rigor.

When he saw Wang Xian, his gaze paused on him briefly before he asked, "Are you here for the enrollment assessment?"

Wang Xian gave a slight bow and answered respectfully, "Yes."

The middle-aged man nodded without asking further questions, then turned and called into the room.

"Osler, come out. Another person is here for the assessment."

"Got it, Teacher Lin, I'm coming." A voice immediately sounded from inside.

Then a boy ran out. He looked twelve or thirteen years old, dressed entirely in black, with features even more delicate than a girl's.

After walking out, Osler looked at Wang Xian with surprise before turning to the middle-aged man. "Teacher Lin, is he here for the assessment? He looks only seven or eight years old."

As Wang Xian looked at the youth who had run out of the house, a flicker of interest passed through his eyes.

He had some impression of the name Osler.

Could this be the Osler from the Heaven Dou Royal Team later on?

Among the future members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team was someone named Osler, whose martial soul was the Ghost Leopard. He was an Agility Attack System Soul Master.

Judging by this person's age and attire, it was most likely him.

"He said he came for the assessment. Since he was able to enter this place, it means he has already proven that he is a one-ring Soul Master," Teacher Lin said calmly.

Hearing that, Osler said nothing more.

A seven- or eight-year-old one-ring Soul Master was uncommon even in Heaven Dou City. This little fellow before him was no ordinary child.

He looked at Wang Xian and said, "To enter Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, you must withstand fifty moves against someone three levels above you."

"However, you're only level fourteen, while I'm level eighteen, four levels above you. So we'll reduce it to forty moves. If you can hold out, you can stay."

Wang Xian remained calm and nodded.

"Alright, the rules have been explained. Begin." Teacher Lin stepped back several paces, clearing the open space for them.

The two stood at opposite ends of the clearing, their gazes meeting as they gathered strength at the same time.

Osler gave a low shout, and a layer of black light emerged over his body.

His eyes turned into vertical pupils that glowed with an eerie green sheen. The nails on all ten fingers grew more than an inch long, curved like hooks and gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

His frame seemed to grow taller, the lines of his muscles faintly visible beneath his black clothes. He looked like a cheetah poised to strike.

Two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, one white and one yellow. The yellow ring was especially bright.

Wang Xian did not hesitate either. He spread his right hand, and blue-green light surged from his palm.

Blades of Blue Silver Grass extended outward, swaying gently before him. A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and slowly pulsed around his body.

Teacher Lin and Osler were both stunned.

"Blue Silver Grass?" Teacher Lin frowned and muttered, "Blue Silver Grass can cultivate to one ring?"

Osler also stared at the blue-green vines for several moments. Though their color differed somewhat from ordinary Blue Silver Grass, their shape was clearly that of Blue Silver Grass.

A Blue Silver Grass Soul Master had reached level fourteen at seven or eight years old and even obtained a hundred-year Soul Ring. He had never heard of anything like that.

But surprise aside, the assessment had to continue.

Osler kicked off the ground, turning into a black blur. He moved with incredible speed and reached Wang Xian in the blink of an eye.

His sharp claws sliced through the air toward Wang Xian's shoulder. After all, this was only an assessment, so he did not aim for a vital spot.

Wang Xian's expression did not change. With a thought, Blue Silver Grass surged wildly from his palm, spreading out in every direction and wrapping him up completely without a single blind spot.

The vines interwove in the air into an impenetrable net, leaving no gaps at all.

Logically, upon seeing such all-encompassing defense, the wise choice would have been to retreat first and observe.

But looking at those vines that seemed no different from Blue Silver Grass, Osler could not help but look down on them somewhat. How powerful could a mere weed be?

He did not retreat. Instead, he swung his claws straight at the vines.

"Sshk—"

His claw blades scraped across the vines with a dull sound. The scene Osler had expected, of the vines being cut apart, did not appear.

Instead, an immense rebounding force shot back through his fingertips, leaving the web between his thumb and forefinger numb.

The blue-green vines merely swayed. A faint white mark was left on their surface, but their skin had not even been broken.

"How is this possible?" Osler's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

In the instant he froze, Blue Silver Grass had already coiled up his arm.

Several vines moved as nimbly as snakes, winding around his wrist and binding his forearm before abruptly tightening.

Osler felt his arm grow heavy. Before he could struggle, more vines had already wrapped around his legs, coiling layer upon layer and firmly restraining him.

The next second, the vines yanked hard. Osler stumbled, and his entire body was dragged to the ground. His back hit the earth, and he landed hard.

He was startled, but his reaction was not slow.

The yellow Soul Ring behind him suddenly lit up. A layer of black light appeared over the claws on both his hands, making his already sharp claws even more razor-sharp, as though they could tear through the air.

He swung his black-glowing claws and slashed fiercely at the Blue Silver Grass binding his legs.

"Riiip!"

This time, the Blue Silver Grass could not hold. The vines were torn apart beneath the black claw blades, breaking into several pieces.

Osler flipped over and sprang to his feet, pushing off the ground as he tried to retreat and get farther away from this strange Blue Silver Grass.

"Trying to run? It won't be that easy." Wang Xian smiled faintly.